Glide agent dispenser for electric shaver



Jan. 24, 1967 R. p. GWlNN 3,299,506

GLIDE AGENT DISPENSER FOR ELECTRIC SHAVER Original Filed Jan. 21, 1963 5Sheets-Sheet 1 40 INVENTOR.

, Jan. 24, 1967 R. P. GWINN GLIDE AGENT DISPENSER FOR ELECTRIC SHAVER5-Sheets-Sheet :5

Original Filed Jan. 21, 1963 INVENTOR Jan. 24, 1967 R. P; GWINN3,299,506

GLIDE AGENT DISPENSER FOR ELECTRIC SHAVER Original Filed Jan. 21, 1963 v5 Sheets-Sheet 5 WWW Jan. 24, 1967 Original Filed R. P. GWINN GLIDEAGENT DISPENSER FOR ELECTRIC SHAVER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan. 21, 1965 luilliiulmunumlillhuu INVENTOR:

Jan. 24, 1967 R. P. GWlNN GLIDE AGENT DISPENSER FOR ELECTRIC SHAVEROriginal Filed Jan. 21, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I 5 m 1V w m w C 2 M7 w mM W #K 1 w 3 m w r United States Patent 3,299,506 GLIDE AGENT DISPENSERFOR ELECTRIC SHAVER Robert P. Gwinn, Riverside, Ill., assignor toSunbeam Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Originalapplication Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,663, now Patent No. 3,176,392,dated Apr. 6, 1965. Divided and this application Feb. 15, 1965, Ser. No.432,687 2 Claims. (Cl. 30-41) This application is a division ofcopending Gwinn application Serial No. 252,663, filed January 21, 1963,which has matured into Patent 3,176,392 granted April 6, '1965, andassigned to the same assignee as the instant application.

The present invention relates to apparatus for dispensing frictionreducing substance adjacent the cutting portion of an electric shaver,and more particularly to dispensing what might be termed a glide agent,adjacent the cutting surface of an electric shaver during the shavingoperation to reduce the friction between such surface and the skin ofthe user from which hair is being removed.

The so-called electric dry shaver has been extensively used for manyyears and the popularity thereof is increasing constantly. This isprimarily due to the fact that shaving with an electric dry shaver issimple, clean, and can be accomplished when the user is fully dressed.Today it is not even necessary that an electric power source beavailable, for electric shavers may be battery powered. This is incontrast to the conventional wet type razor where it is necessary to uselather, towels, water, etc. Obviously, shaving with a razor of the wettype cannot be conveniently accomplished where the user is fullydressed.

Some users of electric dry shavers have complained because of thefriction between the cutting head and the skin of the user. It would bedesirable to provide an improved shaving arrangement in an electric dryshaver whereby the friction between the cutting head and, for example,the face of the user is substantially reduced.

It has been suggested that the user of an electric dry shaver wet hisface before starting to shave. Unfortunately, water or other liquidsused for this purpose dry quickly and any advantage thus disappearsbefore the shaving operation is hardly started. Consequently, it wouldbe desirable to provide an electric dry shaver with means for dispensingsome sort of glide or lfriction reducing agent to the face of the usercontinuously or as desired during the shaving operation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anelectric dry shaver with means for dispensing liquid at the cutting headduring the shaving operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electric dryshaver having a reservoir for a suitable glide agent preferably in theform of a liquid under pressure which can be automatically dispensed atthe will of the user at the cutting surface during the shavingoperation.

Yet another object of the present invention resides in the provision ofan electric dry shaver with a built-in reservoir for a glide agent withready means to refill such reservoir from a suitable source of liquidunder pressure.

Still another object of the present invention resides in an electric dryshaver having a reservoir for containing a glide agent to be dispensedat the cutting head at the will of the user, which reservoir does notsubstantially increase the size of the electric dry shaver and whichreservoir may readily be recharged or refilled with a minimum of delay.

Further objects .and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description prothe cutting surface thereof.

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ceeds and the features of novelty are pointed out with particularity inthe claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference may be hadto the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric dry shaver of thereciprocating type illustrating one modification of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 22of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3--3 of FIG.2, assuming that FIG. 2 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of FIGS.1, 2 and 3 to illustrate a detail of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a somewhat enlarged sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional fragmentary view taken on line 77 ofFIG. 2 assuming that FIG. 2 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view illustrating another modification of thepresent invention applied to an electric dry shaver of the type havingan oscillating cutter instead of a reciprocating cutter;

FIG. 10 is an'enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of FIG. 9taken substantially longitudinally through the cutting head thereof;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 1111 of FIG. 10, assuming thatFIG. 10 shows the complete structure;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view, with certain portions cut away, of anoscillating type electric dry shaver illustrating still anothermodification of the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken on line 1313 of FIG. 12.

Briefly, the present invention is concerned with providing electric dryshavers, regardless of whether the shaver is of the reciprocating,oscillating or rotary type, with apparatus for dispensing a suitableglide agent at Any liquid that provides a slippery condition between theshaving head and the face could be satisfactory. For a reciprocatingtype shaver the liquid is dispensed from between the head of amulti-head shaver toward the face of the user. For an oscillating typeshaver the liquid is dispensed to the outside of the comb through theholes in the comb or against the inside surface of the comb where it ispicked up and distributed by the blades or through tubes directlyagainst the skin through openings provided in the comb. The fluid flowmay be controlled by various means such as an On-Off valve, a variableflow control means, or a metering device which delivers a 'knownquantity each time the metering device is actuated. Moreover, automaticflow control means may be employed, such as by actuating the valve inresponse to pressure on a roller associated with the shaver. The liquidmay be stored in reservoirs under pressure, such as an aerosol typereservoir, or it may be stored with pump means for discharging the same.Additionally, a gas under pressure, such as a C0 capsule, may be used toforce the liquid from the reservoir to the-shaving head. Also, a remotereservoir may be employed, which remote reservoir may be under pressureor may be elevated so that a gravity head is utilized.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 8 of the drawings, there is illustrated anembodiment of the present invention as applied to a reciprocating typeshaver. As there illustrated, an electric dry shaver, generallyindicated at 20, is provided which may be substantially identical to thereciprocating shaver disclosed in copending Jepson application SerialNo. 848,102, filed October 22, 1959, now Patent No. 3,090,119, assignedto the same assignee as the instant application. As in theabove-mentioned Jepson patent, the shaver 20 comprises a casing,generally designated at 21, having attached thereto one or more cuttingunits specifically illustrated as a multiple shaver head 22 extendingalmost completely across one of the longer dimensions of the generallyrectangular housing or casing 21. As illustrated, the head 22 is amultiple cutting head comprising generally identical cutting unitsdesignated in FIG. 2 of the drawings'as 22a, 22b and 220, joinedtogether to form the cutting head 22. Each cutting unit comprises astationary comb 13 and a reciprocally movable cutter 14. The multiplecutting head 22 comprising the substantially identical individual units22a, 22b and 220 is arranged as a unitary structure presenting a largecutting surface of somewhat convex configuration, which head may beremoved as a unit. This is accomplished by virtue of the comb bracket 25to which the individual cutting units 22a, 22b and 220 are secured. Thecutting head 22 including comb bracket 25 are preferably identical tothat disclosed in the above-mentioned Jepson patent.

In view of the somewhat arcuate nature of the comb bracket 25, the spacebetween the combs adjacent the upper cutting surface is greater than thespace adjacent the comb bracket. Preferably the space between thecutting heads 22a and 22b and the space between cutting heads 22b and220 is filled by a suitable comb spacer designated as 27. As best shownin FIG. of the drawings, the comb spacer 27 comprises a U-shaped memberhaving curved flanges 27a and 27b at the ends of the legs of theU-shaped member, which flanges provide curved spacing members betweenthe combs, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The comb spacer 27is secured to the bracket 25 by the same means securing cutting unit 22bthereto.

In order to cause the cutters 14 of the three cutting heads toreciprocate relative to the stationary combs 13, there is providedwithin the casing 21 a suitable prime mover in the form of an electricmotor, generally designated at 28, which motor is preferably identicalwith that disclosed in the above-mentioned Jepson patent. This motor 28is illustrated as of the so-called impulse type and no furtherdescription thereof is included herein. The motor includes a rotorconnected to drive a shaft 30 supporting eccentric 31. As in theabove-mentioned Jepson patent, the motor 28 is suitably secured within amotor chamber 33 defined in the casing 21, which chamber is below aledge 21a integrally formed with the casing 21. The casing 21, moreover,includes integral upwardly extending wall portions 21b disposed aboveledge 21a defining a cutting chamber 34 therebetween for receivingcutting head 22. The ledge 21a defines the periphery of an opening 32interconnecting the motor chamber 33 and cutting chamber 34.

For the purpose of drivingly relating the motor 28 and the reciprocatingcutters 14, there is provided an oscillating arm or bell crank,generally designated at 35, which is pivotally mounted as indicated at36 to the field structure of the motor 28. One end of the oscillatingarm is drivingly connected to the eccentric 31 in the manner fullydisclosed in the above-mentioned Jepson patent. The other end of theoscillating arm 35 is provided with a plurality of driving armsdesignated as 35a, 35b and 350 which extend into the cutter chamber 34through the opening 32 and drivingly engage the respective cutter 14 ofthe cutting units 22a, 22b and 220, respectively, in a manner wellunderstood by those skilled in the art. Suitable sealing means areprovided, generally designated at I structure.

4 38, through which the arms 35a, 35b and 35c project, which sealingmeans prevent hair clippings from entering the motor chamber 34 throughopening 32. The sealing means .and the associated means for holding thesealing means in position and for simultaneously securing the multiplecutting head 22 in cutting position forms no part of the presentinvention and may be identical with that disclosed in theabove-mentioned Jepson patent.

For the purpose of dispensing a suitable glide agent at the cuttingsurface of the cutting head 22, there is provided, in accordance withthe present, invention, a casing extension 40 which defines a reservoir41 therein for containing a suitable material such as a liquid or thelike which may be dispensed at will at the cutting surface of the shaver20. The casing extension 40 is preferably designated so as to be readilysecured to the lower end of the casing 21, as is best shown in FIG. 1 ofthe drawings. It is important that the casing extension 40 does notsubstantially increase the size of the shaver. Suitable fastening means,such as 42, are provided to relate the shaver casing 21 and the casingextension 40 as a unitary It should be understood that instead ofdefining the reservoir 41 within the casing extension 40 it could beformed within casing 21. Moreover, casing extension 40 might be madereadily removable from casing 21 so that the reservoir 41 is associatedwith the shaver 20 only when liquid is to be dispensed at the cuttingsurface of the multiple cutting head 22. It should be understood thatthe present invention contemplates either a removable reservoir or areservoir built as an integral part of the shaver. An important featureof the invention, however, is a reservoir of such size that it will notmaterially increase the size of the shaving implement and hence will notinterfere with the ease of operation. The reservoir 41 is preferably afluid-tight chamber in which the glide agent may be stored, preferablyunder pressure, for release at the shaving head, as describedhereinafter.

The particular fluid or liquid stored in the reservoir 41 may varywidely, and any liquid that provides a slippery condition between theshaving head and the surface of the body being shaved, such as the face,is satisfactory. The liquid is to be applied during the shavingoperation and hence does not remain on the face long enough to produceany conditioning of the beard. Consequently, the liquid need not haveany long-term lubricating characteristics. The liquid, for example, maycomprise the material disclosed and claimed in a copending applicationof Frederick Morawetz and Frederick D. Timmons, Jr., Serial No. 181,777,filed March 22, 1962 (now abandoned) and assigned to the same assigneeas the present application. Actually, liquids comprising alcohol typeshaving lotions, plain soap and water, hand lotions, as well as aerosoltype shaving soaps have been found to Work satisfactorily. The principalobjection to using a soapy type of liquid is that it tends to become toofrothy. It is contemplated :by the present invention to cover anymaterial which reduces the friction between the head and the face andwhich is generally characterized as a glide agent.

So that liquid under pressure housed in reservoir 41 may be dispensedselectively at the cutting surface of the cutting head 22, there ispreferably housed within the casing 21 a suitable manifold and valvemember 44- defining a manifold 45 and a valve chamber 47 interconnectedby a passageway 48. The valve chamber 47 is connected to the reservoir41 by suitable conduit 49 which preferably extends close to the bottomof reservoir 41. In accordance with the present invention the flow offluid from reservoir 41 to valve chamber 47 is controlled by a suitablereciprocally movable valve member 51 adapted to be seated against avalve seat 52 in a conventional manner. The valve seat 52 is illustratedas defined by -a shoulder in the valve chamber 47. The valve member 51is suitably connected to one end of a valve actuating plunger 54, thelongitudinal axis of which coincides with the longitudinal axis of thevalve chamber 47. The other end of the valve plunger 54 remote from thevalve member 51 projects through an opening 56 in casing 21, whichopening is closed by suitable annular sealing member 58 having a centralopening for the plunger 54. A suitable spring 59 normally biases theplunger 54 and, consequently, the valve member 51 to the closed positionseated against valve seat 52 (FIG. 2). As illustrated, the spring 59 isa coiled compression spring concentric with the plunger 54, one end ofwhich engages an enlargement 54a on the plunger 54, while the other endengages a shoulder 60 defined in the valve chamber 47. A suitable O-ringseal 61 prevents any fluid which is permitted to enter the valve chamber47 upon opening movement of the valve member 51 from passing into theportion of the valve chamber 47 housing the spring 59.

To make it easy for the user of the electric dry shaver 20 to actuatethe liquid dispensing valve comprising valve member 51, there isprovided a valve actuating lever 62 pivotally mounted as indicated at 63to projecting ears 21c of the shaver casing 21. The free end of thelever 62, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, engages theprojecting end of the plunger 54. This lever 62 preferably extendsacross the entire shaver casing 21 so that the user of the shaver mayreadily engage it with his thumb or fingers to actuate the liquiddispensing valve.

In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustratedin FIGS. 1 to 8 of the drawings, fluid under pressure supplied to themanifold chamber 45 upon actuation of the valve member 51 is supplied todispensing conduits 64a and 64b which are preferably disposedimmediately beneath the curved portions 27a and 27b of the comb spacer27, as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings. The dispensingconduits 64a and 64b, as well as the curved portions 27a and 27b of theconduit members 27 are provided with suitable aligned openings 66 sothat fluid under pressure supplied to the conduits 64a and 64b will besupplied through these openings to the face of the user. The dispensingconduits 64a and 641; are preferably secured as by spot welding or thelike in the position indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

For the purpose of supplying thefluid from the manifold 45 to thedispensing conduits 64a and 64b, therev are provided conduits 67a and67b which are connected at one common end thereof to the manifold 45 byconnecting means 68a and 68b, respectively. The other ends of theconduits 67a and 67b are connected to the dispensing conduits 64a and64b either directly or through intermediate conduits, such as conduits69a and 69b, respectively. Preferably the conduits 69a and 69b areformed of metal and are suitably spot welded or otherwise secured to theassociated dispensing conduits 64a and 64b, respectively, and suitableopenings, designated as 70, interconnect the respective conduit 69a or69b with its associated dispensing conduit 64a or 64b, :as the case maybe, in the manner clearly indicated in FIG. 6 of the drawings. Ifintermediate conduits such as 67a are employed, as is illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, then these conduits 67a and 67b may beformed of plastic tubing or the like and connected to the conduits 69aand 69b, respectively, by a sleeve joint, as clearly indicated in FIGS.2 and 3 of the drawings.

The reservoir 41 has been illustrated as a very small reservoir whichwill not appreciably increase the size of the shaver 20. It will beappreciated that means must be provided for periodically fill-ing thereservoir with the desired fluid from a larger container of some sort.Since with the arrangement disclosed it is contemplated that a fluidunder pressure is employed, the reservoir 41 is illustrated as beingprovided with a suitable filler valve mechanism (FIGS. 2, 7 and 8),generally designated as 73 through which fluid under pressure may besupplied but which will prevent such fluid from escaping once it issupplied through this valve mechanism. As best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 ofthe drawings, thefiller valve mechanism 73 is disposed at one end of thereservoir 41, and to afford a connection between the valve mechanism 73and the exterior of reservoir 41 a suitable opening 74 is provided inthe casing extension 40. As illustrated, the valve mechanism 73 includes.a tubular molded plastic member 75 open at both ends with an integralflange 75a at one end. The flange 75a is provided on the side thereof,opposite that from which the tubular protion projects, with an annularrib 75b. To define a suitable valve seat, there is provided an annularresilient washer 77 having a small central opening 78 aligned With theopening 74. This washer 77 is clamped between the flange 75a and the endwall of casing extension 40. As illustrated, another gasket 79 isprovided on the opposite side of the flange 75a from that where thevalve seat defined by washer 77 is located, and suitable means 80 areprovided to clamp the valve mechanism 73 in the position best shown inFIG. 7 of the drawings. Cooperating with the washer 77 and normallyclosing the opening 78 therein is a valve member 82 continually biasedto the closed position by a suitable compression spring 83 housed withintubular member 75. Preferably valve member 82 has an annular valveseating surface 82a of larger diameter than either the opening 78 inwasher 77 or the opening 74 in casing extension 40.

When it is desired to fill reservoir 41 with a suitable glide agent, asuitable rigid conduit associated with the source of fluid underpressure (not shown) is inserted through the aligned openings 74 and 78to bias the valve member 82 away from the washer 77, whereupon the fluidunder pressure from the source is supplied to the reservoir 41 until thepressures are equalized. Withdrawal of the rigid conduit from theopenings 74 and 78 will, of course, permit the spring 83 to bias valvemember 82 to the closed position illustrated.

It will :be appreciated that with the liquid dispensing means associatedwith the shaver 20, as described above, some excess liquid may appear onthe outside of casing 21. The conventional dry shaver, such as 20, iscommonly provided with a starting whee-l protruding through an openingin the casing. It will be appreciated that with the conventionalstarting wheel disclosed in, the abovementioned Jepson patent, when thestarting wheel is actuated it is depressed, which, of course, results inthe opening in the casing being increased in size and permitting anyliquid on the outside of casing 21 to enter therein. The starting wheelmechanism of the present invention, generally designated at 85, is onein which no change in size of the opening occurs upon actuating of thestarting wheel and, in fact, a sealed construct-ion against the entranceof moisture is provided. Referring now to FIG.

4 of the drawings, the starting wheel mechanism 85 comprises a sleeve 86rigidly supported within an opening 87 defined in the casing 21.Rotatably and axially mounted within the sleeve 86 is a shaft 88.Secured to the inner end of thesh'aft 88 Within the casing 21 is afriction wheel 89 which-is adapted to engage the armature of the' motor28 in a well understood manner to cause it to rotate slightly forstarting purposes. Secured to the end of the shaft 88 projecting outsideof the housing or casing 21 is an actuating wheel 90. This actuatingwheel 90 isprovided with a recess on the underside thereof designated as91. A suitable compression spring 92 concentric with the shaft 88 hasone end disposed in the recess and the other end engaging with ashoulder 93 defined on the casing 21. An O-ring or other suitablesealing member 94 is provided within the sleeve 86 to make sealingengagement with the shaft 88. From the above description it will beapparent that the starting wheel mechanism 85 provides a sealedarrangement for preventing liquid from entering the casing 21 throughopening 87. When it is 'desired to start the motor, the operatordepresses and In view of the detailed description included above, theoperation of the arrangement disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 8 of the drawingswill readily be understood by those skilled in the art. When it isdesired to dispense a suitable glide agent at the cutting surface of theshaver, the operator actuates the lever 62 and the liquid is dispensedthrough the openings 66 against the face of the user. The openings 66may cause the liquid to be dispensed directly against the face, in otherwords, with the stream of liquid being directed perpendicularly to thesurface over which the shaver is moving or it could be directed at anangle. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings, one set ofopenings may direct the liquid directly against the face of the userwhile other openings direct the liquid at an angle.

Although the control of the liquid flow has been illustrated as by amanual On-Off valve comprising valve member 51, it should be understoodthat variable flow control means might be employed or a metering valvemight be employed which delivers a known quantity of liquid each timethe valve is actuated. Obviously, however, automatic regulation of theliquid flow might be employed and the electric shaver 20 is illustratedas comprising the usual rollers 95 at the extreme edges of the cuttinghead 22, which may be depressible in accordance with the arrangementdisclosed in the abovementioned Jepson patent. If it is desired, thedepression of one or both of these rollers 95 may be utilized to actuatea suitable liquid dispensing valve and the amount of liquid dispensedmay be controlled by the pressure applied to the cutting surface causingactuation of these rollers. It will be understood, of course, that themotor 28 might be utilized to actuate a suitable pump so that wheneverthe motor is energized a predetermined amount of liquid would besupplied at the openings 66 by virtue of such pump.

In the arrangement described above the glide agent to be dispensed isstored in a reservoir associated with the shaver itself. It should beunderstood that the glide agent may be stored in a separate containerconnected to the shaver at the desired time by suitable conduit means.Such an arrangement is disclosed in FIGS. 9 to 11 of the drawings anddescribed hereinafter. Furthermore, instead of storing the liquid underpressure in the reservoir 41 or a separate reservoir connected to theshaver at the desired time, the liquid may be inserted in such reservoirand then a charged gas, such as a C0 capsule, may be used to furnish thedesired pressure for forcing the liquid to the shaving head. If desired,the charged gas, instead of forcing the liquid to the shaving head, maybe used in an aspirating type arrangement to draw the liquid to theshaving head in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art. Itshould also be understood that the reservoir may be elevated so thatfluid flow to the shaver is by virtue of gravity.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 to 11 of the drawings, there is illustrated amodification of the present invention where the liquid dispensing meansis associated with a shaver of the oscillating type. As thereillustrated, there is disclosed an electric shaver 96 which, except forthe addition of the liquid dispensing means, may otherwise be identicalwith the shaver disclosed in copending Jepson and Schuessler applicationSerial No. 109,551, filed May 12, 1961, which has matured into PatentNo. 3,176,392, granted July 27, 1965, and assigned to the same assigneeas the present application. As disclosed in the abovernentioned Jepsonand Schuessler application, the shaver 96 comprises a casing 97 housinga suitable electric motor (not shown). The casing 97 comprises acup-shaped member 97a and end caps 97b and 970. Between the end caps 97band 97c is a cutting head generally indicated at 98. This cutting headcomprises an oscillating shaft 99 journalled in suitable bearingsforming a part of the cutting head 98 and fully described in theaforementioned Jepson and Schuessler application. The oscillating shaft99 is suitably connected by driving means generally designated at 100,comprising a conventional connecting rod, crank arms, etc., with theelectric motor housed in casing 97. Rigidly supported from theoscillating cutter shaft 98 are a plurality of blade supporting members101a, 101b, 1010 and 101d which are provided with suitable aligned slotsfor supporting a plurality of blades 102, specifically designated as102a, 10212 and 1020. These blades are oscillated in shearing engagementwith a suitable perforated comb generally designated at 103, the combbeing of arcuate configuration and secured to the casing by suitablecomb locks 104 and 105. Suitable spring means 106 bias the cuttingblades 102 against the comb 103. and the hair to be cut entersperforations in this comb and is sheared by the blades 102. Inaccordance with the present invention, the oscillating cutter shaft 99is provided at one end with a tubular extension 99a extending through anopening 108 in end cap 97b. Moreover, the cutter shaft is provided witha bore 109 within the tubular extension and extending at least beyondthe center of this shaft, as best shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings. Asuitable sleeve 110 and a sealing gasket 111 preferably surround aportion of the projecting extension 99a of the oscillating shaft 99. Thetubular extension may readily be connected with a conduit 113 to asource of glide agent under pressure indicated generally at 114. It willbe understood that the source 114 may be one of the well-known aerosoltype dispensers which upon depression of the member 115 at the upper endthereof will cause liquid to be dispensed under pressure through theconduit 113 and to the hollow bore 109 within the oscillating shaft 99.

In order that liquid supplied under pressure to the bore 109 in theoscillating shaft 99 may be dispensed at the cutting surface, a pair ofdispensing tubes 116a and 116b are provided which are supported foroscillation with the shaft 99 and are connected to the bore 109. Thesedispensing tubes 116a and 116b preferably terminate closely adjacent theinside surface of the comb 103 and preferably adjacent elongatedopenings 117 defined in the comb so that the liquid is dispensed againstthe face of the user, for example, through these openings. In FIG. 9 ofthe drawings a suitable power cord 118 is illustrated as connecting theshaver 96 to a suitable source of electric power, such as theconventional electric outlet, generally designated as 119. It will beappreciated that the flexible tube 113 and the power cord will permitthe user to use the shaver in any desired manner. If desired, thecontainer 114 may be a container disposed at an elevation such that thehydraulic head will cause the liquid to be supplied to the shaver. Insuch case, a suitable valve adjacent the shaver would be provided tocontrol the flow of liquid to the dispensing tubes 116a and 11617. Itwill be appreciated that the shaver 96 could be modified in the mannerof the shaver illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 8 of the drawings so as to havea built-in reservoir and a control valve for supplying the liquid to thehollow oscillating shaft 99. In such case the extension 99a wouldterminate inside the casing 97 and connection through a flexible tubularmember with a reservoir within the shaver could readily be accomplished.

In FIGS. 12 and 13 of the drawings there is illustrated anotherembodiment of the present invention wherein liquid dispensing means areassociated with an oscillating shaver which, again, may be identicalwith that disclosed in the above-mentioned Jepson and Schuesslerapplication, and the shaver is generally designated by the samereference numeral 96. The corresponding parts of FIGS. 12 and 13 aredesignated by the same reference numeralsas in FIGS. 9 to 11. Instead ofsupplying the liquid through the hollow oscillating shaft, a pluralityof liquid dispensing tubes specifically designated as 120a, 120b, 120aand 120d, are secured in spaced relationship to the inside surface ofthe comb 103, each of these tubes being curved to conform to the combshape, as best shown in FIG. 13. It will be appreciated that the blades102 must be provided with suitable notches so as not to interfere withthe dispensing tubes. As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 of the drawings,the dispensing tubes are disposed at portions of the comb where noopenings are provided, and then suitable dispensing openings 121 areprovided through both the comb 103 and the walls of tubes such as 120a,120b, 120C and 120d. In the specific embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 12and 13 of the drawings, four dispensing tubes are provided, althoughfewer than that number may be utilized, as desired. As illustrated, thedispensing tubes extend through openings 122 in comb lock 105 and areconnected by tubes 123 with a manifold 127, which in turn may beconnected by the tube 113 to a source of fluid under pressure, such as114 shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings. It will be appreciated that thedispensing tubes could be connected to a reservoir built into the shavercasing 97 rather than connected to an exterior reservoir, in which casethe openings 122 in comb locks 105 are unnecessary.

In view of the detailed description included above, it is apparent thatthere has been provided an arrangement in which a suitable glide agentis dispensed at the cutting surface of an electric dry shaver. Althoughthe application of the present invention to a rotary type dry shaver hasnot been illustrated, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat the present invention could equally well be applied thereto bysupplying the fluid through a hollow shaft or the like.

While there have been illustrated and described several embodiments ofthe present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat numerous changes and modifications will occur, and it iscontemplated by the appended claims to cover all such changes andmodifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. A shaver comprising a casing, a prime mover mounted in said casing, acutting head secured to said casing comprising a comb bracket, threecombs disposed in spaced parallel relationship and secured to saidbracket, a U-shaped comb spacer having curved flanges at the ends of theU one disposed on either side of the center comb, a plurality of cuttersreciprocally movable in shearing engagement with each of said combs,means drivingly relating said cutters and said prime mover, and meanssecured to said spacer for dispensing a glide agent at the cuttingsurface of said cutting head, said last-mentioned means comprising apair of conduits one disposed directly beneath each of said curvedflanges.

2. In a shaver of the type including a casing and a prime mover mountedin said casing, the combination of a cutting head secured to said casingand including a plurality of spaced combs defining a gap betweenadjacent combs, a perforated comb spacer in said gap between adjacentcombs and including a curved portion, a plurality of cutters movable inshearing engagement with said combs, means drivingly relating saidcutters and the prime mover, and a conduit disposed beneath said curvedportion of said spacer, said conduit including openings comrnunicatingwith perforations in said spacer for dispensing a glide agent at thecutting surface of said cutting head.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,965,382 7/1934Kluge.

2,134,960 11/1938 Testi 30-415 2,327,192 8/1943 Keene 30-41 2,532,48012/1950 Gannon 1524 2,686,361 8/1954 Resnick et al 30--41 2,786,3703/1957 Orlando et 211 3041 3,090,119 5/1963 Jepson 304l.6 3,103,2999/1963 We-rft 3041 X 3,128,549 4/1964 Hubbartt et a1. 30--41.5 3,154,85111/1964 Ericjson 30-415 3,176,291 4/1965 Resnick et a1. 30-41 WILLIAMFELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MYRON C. KRUSE, Examiner.

1. A SHAVER COMPRISING A CASING, A PRIME MOVER MOUNTED IN SAID CASING, ACUTTING HEAD SECURED TO SAID CASING COMPRISING A COMB BRACKET, THREECOMBS DISPOSED IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP AND SECURED TO SAIDBRACKET, A U-SHAPED COMB SPACER HAVING CURVED FLANGES AT THE ENDS OF THEU ONE DISPOSED ON EITHER SIDE OF THE CENTER COMB, A PLURALITY OF CUTTERSRECIPROCALLY MOVABLE IN SHEARING ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OF SAID COMBS,MEANS DRIVINGLY RELATING SAID CUTTERS AND SAID PRIME MOVER, AND MEANSSECURED TO SAID SPACER FOR DISPENSING A GLIDE AGENT AT THE CUTTINGSURFACE OF SAID CUTTING HEAD, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS COMPRISING APAIR OF CONDUITS ONE DISPOSED DIRECTLY BENEATH EACH OF SAID CURVEDFLANGES.